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USS Enterprise ends last voyage

Those who have served on the ship have a unique camaraderie. It is the second-oldest ship in the Navy after the USS Constitution, and its age has frequently shown. Sailors who work on the Enterprise have a saying: “There’s tough, then there’s Enterprise tough.”

Things frequently break down, and spare parts for a ship that’s the only one in its class aren’t made anymore.

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“She’s just old, so you got to work around her,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Danielle Almarez, an electronic technician. “We have to make our own parts sometimes because it just doesn’t exist.”

Some of the ship’s original crewmembers from 51 years ago - known as plank owners - were among the 1,500 civilians who joined the Enterprise for its last two days at sea, known as a Tiger Cruise.

“This is the end of an era that I helped start, so I was just honored that the captain invited me on board. There’s no way I’d turn that down,” said original crew member Ray Godfrey of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The aircraft carrier is the eighth U.S. ship to bear the name Enterprise, with the first one being confiscated from the British by Benedict Arnold in 1775. Current sailors and alumni like Godfrey are lobbying to have a future carrier also named Enterprise. The ship’s crew created a time capsule to be passed along to each Navy secretary until a new ship carries its name.

Other memorabilia on the ship, such as a pair of black fuzzy dice that hang in the ship’s tower that were donated by the film crew of the 1986 Hollywood blockbuster movie “Top Gun,” will be stored by the Naval History and Heritage Command.

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Readers' Comments (3)

Thanks Big "E". You were great. We were on deployment when 9/11 happened. We were part of the first air bombings into Afghanistan. I could say more, but history is in the books now. Made Senior Chief onboard her in 2002. I enjoyed my work, fellow Sailors/friends, and extensive knowledge I learned onboard her. Again, thanks Big "E".

Actually since one carrier will be going in to the shipyard next year for two years of refueling it's nuclear reactors, we will have only 9 carriers available to cover the five Navy AOR's (Area of Responsibility)

With the "Rule of Three", where 1/3 of the ships are on station and on patrol in their AOR, 1/3 of the ships are in port for maintenance, repair and training and 1/3 of the ships are building up for deployment or are in transit too or from their AOR. That means we only have 3 Carrier Strike Groups at any given time to cover five AOR's.

Explains why there was no Carrier Strike Group in the Mediterranean Sea when Al Qaeda was attacking our consulate in Benghazi.

Should be noted that from 1945 to 2008 there was always at least one U.S. carrier in the Mediterranean Sea 24 / 7. Have no idea what that has to do with horses, bayonets and ships that go underwater ?